Considering a Consensus View of Nature of Science Content for School Science Purposes

An important consideration related to the inclusion of nature of science (NOS) into the science curriculum relates to what aspects of NOS are the most appropriate to define the domain of NOS accurately at levels appropriate for the time available and learners’ interests and ability to understand. Those who support the inclusion of NOS in the science curriculum understand that this topic and so many other science content aspects must be offered accurately at introductory levels. Therefore, many in the science education community have offered what has come to be known as the “consensus” view of NOS. This is not to say that everyone involved in supporting science teaching and learning share precisely the same recommended aspects of NOS, but generally, there is widespread agreement on the consensus view of NOS elements that should be targeted in science instruction. The elements of the consensus NOS view are detailed in the chapter “ Principal Elements of Nature of Science: Informing Science Teaching While Dispelling the Myths”. This chapter summarizes the development of the consensus position while detailing and refuting several of the major objections to this view offered in the literature and concludes by examining procedural and declarative learning as applied to NOS.